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The Peace of God

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6 & 7

That Awkward Moment of Praise

The older I get, the more amazed I am at God’s goodness to me. The

bottom line is that I did not seek Him.  He sought me out and saved

me by His grace.  I cannot accept praise for His goodness to me, I

can only be thankful for His mercy.  

John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace” said in his eighties;

My memory is almost gone, but I can remember two things: I am a

great sinner and I have a great Saviour.”

Get Down!!!

Have you heard the one about the hippie soldier who was wounded in battle in Vietnam?  I didn’t think so.  Well, here is how the story went.

A hippie was drafted into the army.  He was trained in the basics and sent to Vietnam.  One day, while on patrol, a fire fight erupted with the enemy.  Immediately the hippie soldier was shot down  because he needlessly exposed himself to enemy gunfire.  An investigation followed.  It was discovered that just as the firefight erupted, the hippie soldier’s commanding officer issued an order to “Get Down!

Of course we all know what the commanding officer meant by Get Down!  However, if you are not old enough to remember the hippie movement you may not recall what Get Down! meant to the hippie.  Get down was slang for let’s get down to business.  Business for the hippie, as I recall, was to boogie.  Bad time to boogie.

Yeh, I know, bad joke……., but a good illustration, right?!  The same command was given to the hippie soldier as was given to the other soldiers but with different results. The meaning of the command was different to the hippie soldier.  The same thing happens among Christians when one is thinking culturally as opposed to thinking Biblically.  The two are not on the same page. 

When love is mentioned, what do you think of?  The culture equates love with physical desire, toleration, and feelings.  The Lord Jesus equates love with right choices and right relationships.

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.  John 14:21

So,………are you and the Lord on the same page?

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

My faith has found a resting place,
Not in device or creed;
I trust the ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.

Refrain:
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,
This ends my fear and doubt;
A sinful soul I came to Him,
He’ll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word,
The living Word of God,
Salvation by my Savior’s name,
Salvation through His blood.

My great physician heals the sick,
The lost He came to save;
For me His precious blood He shed,
For me His life He gave.

Author – Eliza E. Hewitt, Published 1891.

Settled in Heaven

Christ speaking to Peter:

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Matthew 16:19 KJV

Another accurate translation of Matthew 16:19 is as follows:

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt not allow on earth shall have been disallowed in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt allow on earth shall have been allowed in heaven.  Matthew 16:19 NLV

Interpretation:

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:

The keys were the sign of the scribe so Christ was making the disciples, or Peter in particular, His scribe(s) for the kingdom.  It could also be that Peter not only presented the kingdom to the Jews as leader of the disciples, but also was the first to make the kingdom available to the Gentiles in Acts. (10:45)

………and whatsoever thou shalt disallow on earth shall have been disallowed in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt allow on earth shall have been allowed in heaven.

The “future perfect periphrastic” structure in the Greek shows us that instead of giving Peter unlimited authority in the church, the Lord Jesus has limited his authority to what has already been decided in heaven.

This is the same restriction that the Lord puts on the church in Matthew 18 regarding church discipline.

The most understandable translation of this passage would be as follows:

And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you forbid on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven: and whatever you permit on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven. (Williams)**

How do we know what has already been settled in heaven?    

       For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.  Psalm 119:89

….let the word of Christ dwell in you richly….

 

**Heritage Baptist Church, NSC, S.D. – This article was used with permission.

 

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Church Today – Part IV – The Indwelling of the Believer by The Holy Spirit – A Study in Ephesians

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.  Ephesians 2:19-22

According to W.E. Vine’s Expository dictionary of New Testament Words, the word habitation is a form of the Greek word oiketerion which is a combination of oiketer meaning an inhabitant (in this case God) and oikos meaning a dwelling (in this case the believer).

The apostle Paul is telling the Ephesian Christians that they, along with all other believers, are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (NASV).  


When does the indwelling of the Holy Spirit occur?

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.  Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  Romans 8:8 & 9

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs at the time of belief or regeneration according to verse 9b of Romans 8.  It is a very simple explanation.  If anyone does not have the Spirit, he/she does not belong to Christ.  In other words, one cannot be a Christian and not have the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.


There is a distinction between the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a one time action that occurs at the time of belief or regeneration.  The believer is placed into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit at that time.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.  I Corinthians 12:13

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is continuous action that lasts throughout the life of the believer.  This function does not change regardless of the genuine believer’s behaviour.  

John Walvoord, in his book The Holy Spirit, makes the following observation:  Sinning Christians possess the Holy Spirit.  Never in the dispensation of grace are Christians warned that the loss of the Holy Spirit will occur as a result of sin.  On the contrary, in the notable case of the Corinthian church, they are exhorted to live a godly life because they are indwelt by the Spirit: “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God?  and ye are not your own?” (I Corinthians 6:19)

Walvoord continues: The inference is plain that the presence of the Spirit abides even in the hearts of Christians who are unyielded and living in sin.  While yieldedness remains a condition for the filling of the Spirit, the indwelling of the Spirit is unconditional for genuine Christians.  (Emphasis added)

Note:  Assurance of salvation comes from the promises of Scripture authored by the Holy Spirit.  A Christian continuing in sin has broken fellowship with God.  As a result, he/she will lose his joy in the Lord, his/her assurance from the Spirit  of God, and will invite the chastening of the Lord into his/her life.

Walvoord also writes:  Indwelling is the abiding presence of the Spirit, while the filling of the Spirit indicates the ministry and extent of control of the Spirit over the individual.

…….let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…….

God’s Book

 

In the thirtieth chapter of Proverbs, Agur writes some 700 years before Christ, beginning in verse four:  Who hath ascended into heaven, or descended?  Who hath gathered the wind in his fists?  Who hath bound the waters in a garment?  Who hath established all the ends of the earth?  What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?  He continues in verses five and six:  Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

God gave us a book, it’s called the Bible….God’s Word. This book describes itself (II Timothy 3:16) as given by inspiration of God (theopneustia) which means literally God breathed. This carries the idea of not just that God breathed, but God breathed out, as to source. The Bible is the God breathed book.

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.  (II Peter 1:21). God the Holy Spirit is the author.  This means that anyone claiming to speak by the Holy Spirit must not contradict Scripture.  God will not lie.  God cannot lie.  He will not contradict Himself.

This book is described in Hebrews 4:12 as; “living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

In explaining born again Peter says in I Peter 1:23; Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

Paul charged Timothy before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ to Preach the word (II Timothy 4:1-5).  Why?  Because faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17).

In John 6 Jesus explained in verse 63, what He meant when He called Himself the living bread which came down from heaven.  It is the spirit that quickeneth (makes alive); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”

Love for Christ is revealed by obedience to the word of God.  Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23).

The Bible is more important to the testimony of Christ than if one returned from the dead.  In Luke 16 Jesus told of the rich man in hell who wanted someone from the dead (Abraham) to go back and tell his five brothers not to come to this place of torment.  Abraham answered him in verses 29 & 31;  If they hear not Moses and the prophets (scripture), neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

This book is magnified by God.  The Psalmist wrote; .….for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (138:2).

Psalm 119 is the longest book in the Bible.  It is written as a discourse on the word of God.  Practically every verse references the word of God and the believers relationship to it.  Verse 9 asks; Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed thereto according to thy word.   Verse 11 instructs; Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Verse 105 teaches; Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  Verse 89 declares;  Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven

Jesus Christ read from it, preached it, expounded it, taught it, quoted it, rebuked Satan with it, and lived it.  He fulfilled the Law down to every jot and tittle.  He is the living word.  Christ declared to the Pharisees in John 5:39 & 40; Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

The Lord instructed two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection as follows:  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

The Bible excludes all other authority with these words found in Revelation 22:18 & 19;  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of this book.  If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.  This book is complete from Genesis to Revelation, the Holy Spirit is the author, and as such he will never lead contrary to the teaching of Scripture because He is God and God cannot lie.

You and I should know the Bible.  Whoso transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.  He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed (II John 9&11).  

We should test the teaching we are under.  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world  (I John 4:1).  

We should also ask honest questions;….they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11).

Use a translation as opposed to a paraphrase.  A translation is a word for word rendering from the original language.  I currently use the New King James Version.  There are other reliable translations available, such as the NASV and the ESV.  The NIV is probably the most common version available, but it is called a dynamic equivalent and is not a true word for word translation.

If God chose the very words that the Scriptures are composed of to express His intent and will for us, then it is incumbent upon believers not to be careless about the handling of His word.

Believers do not worship the Bible, but we hold it in high esteem because it is from the God we worship.

Blessed (Happy) Is the Man

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1:1-6

…….Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly……